Wicked Spring (Spanish)Reviews: Wicked Spring (Spanish)
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) Binding: VHS Tape EAN: 0783722863831 Format: Color, Subtitled, NTSC Label: Allumination Languages: Manufacturer: Allumination Number Of Items: 1 Publisher: Allumination Release Date: December 16, 2003 Running Time: 102 minutes Studio: Allumination Theatrical Release Date: February 15, 2007 Rating:  - For Civil War buffs onlyI recently bought a DVD copy of "Wicked Spring", mainly based on the many favorable reviews I read on this site. Began looking after thoroughly loving another little-known Indie Civil War film, "Pharaoh's Army" (1995, starring Chris Cooper and Patricia Clarkson in the lead roles). The reviews on this site for "Wicked Spring" sounded similar, so I bought a copy and watched it for the first time the other night. Quick take: in no way as good a movie as "Pharaoh's Army"(in every respect- acting, plot, cinematography, pacing, etc), but still an above-average Civil War movie, so long as you understand that, like "Pharaoh's Army", it is not meant to be a grand epic filled with big battle scenes, but a small slice of the Civil War, from the personal level of a few grunt soldiers struggling through a few days of that massive conflict. The story in "Wicked Spring" is simple enough: during the horrible 1864 battle of The Wilderness (around Chancellorsville, Virginia), 6 soldiers (3 from each side) wind up being thrown together in the darkness of one night, following a confused day of fighting and running around lost in the dense woods and general chaos that was the battle of The Wilderness. The initial scenes of the fighting are done well enough, though without a whole lot of sheer-terror or graphic violence (read any historical accounts of the real battle and you'll realize how toned-down the movie depiction is). The 6 men spend the night together, largely lost and afraid, and clearly (with the exception of one Confederate soldier) not anxious to hurt anyone anytime soon. The bulk of the movie revolves around conversation between the two lead actors during that night ( Yankee D.J. Perry and Reb Brian Merrick), with the most revealing part of that being a series of letters from Merrick's sweetheart back home, which are caringly read to him by Perry, as the Reb is illiterate, and has held the letters for 3 years without being able to read their content. The two leads actors do a passing job of acting, though this is very subdued material, and not a whole lot of content about the Civil War or it's tensions, but just generic wishing-for-home material that is common to all soldiers, during all wars. The supporting cast, however, is simply awful: particulalrly the angry Reb (Terry Jernigan) whose over-the-top routine gets old pretty fast. In all fairness, the supporting actors really aren't given anything too interesting to say, but even so, their acting is pretty bad, even for an Indie film. Not fair to compare this aspect to "Pharaoh"s Army" , with two major motion picture stars taking the leads in that one (as well as an excellent supporting cast of lesser-known actors), but just be prepared to wince and even yawn a little off and on during "Wicked Spring". The climax the next morning seemed all too predictable to me, and for that reason it lost a lot of the intended dramatic impact. When the movie ended, I wasn't blown away or left with any lasting impressions, as I certainly was with "Pharaoh's Army". My usual way to critically assess any movie is whether or not I will watch it several times after the first viewing: I might watch "Wicked Spring" again, but I have watched "Pharaoh's Army" many times over the last couple of years. Enough said. The cinematography in this flick is pretty good, and the attention to detail in the soldiers uniforms and gear is first-rate: Civil War buffs will notice this aspect, but I doubt it will mean much to the average viewer. The musical score is at times quite moving and beautiful, and never detracts from any scene. Overall I give it 3 stars, mainly for the attention to Civil War details and the two lead actors work. I suspect it will appeal to Civil War buffs primarily, though, and for most others, probably a once-viewed flick without much lasting impact. But no way is it either just one star or 5 stars: folks who rate it that way are way too biased, one way or the other. Needless to say, I'm a Civil War buff. But if you haven't done so already, check out "Pharaoh's Army"- a real gem, in every way. Rating:  - Excellent Civil War dramaMany people seem to be missing the point of this excellent indie production. This is NOT meant to be some action-filled, war epic. But rather, a thoughtful, small-scale film, focusing on a small group of men from both sides of the Civil War. I've seen a number of reviews saying how far-fetched the plot was - nonsense! It's a known fact that Union & Confederate soldiers often met during lulls in the fighting to exchange supplies and swap stories. Who's to say that something along the lines of this movie didn't happen! At any rate, rather than focusing on battle scenes, instead it focuses on individual soldiers and what was going on in their own lives. A very good film, worth watching and worth thinking on, despite the downbeat ending. Rating:  - Don't Bother.This is most likely the worst movie I have ever seen. It's a pity, because I have a particularly strong interest in the battle of the Wilderness. I can't tell you how disappointed I was watching this film. Intensely boring with indiscernable dialogue, I bet even the cast falls asleep when they watch this film. Directed by Kevin R Hershberger and produced by mistake. Please dont waste your time. Rating:  - Realistic Representation of the Soldiering LifeThis movie is perhaps one of the most realistic depictions of the plain soldiering life of the foot soldier. There isn't any glamour and the men are just presented as plain men. The beginning was actually well done, and while there wasn't any talking at the very beginning; it was so well done that we didn't notice it. The music was pleasant all throughout. I thought the exchange between the yankee soldier and the Confederate soldier with the letters was especially touching. The ending is not the typical happy ending or romanticized ending that movies usually have, but rather it has a tragic and probably more realistic ending than most war movies. There is some swearing, but mostly the milder swear words and for the most part it is a pretty clean movie. I was pleasantly surprised as all the acting was well done. (Which isn't typical in indie films.) It is a movie that I would recommend to anyone. Rating:  - finale fizzlewicked spring starts off with and interesting theme of soldiers from each side of the civil war experiencing the trials and heartaches of war and soldiering.there are good battle scenes initially but the movie then gets over dramatic and weepy over lost love and one soldier's manical hate of yankees as they sit around the campfire for the rest of the movie until their final wipeout in the middle of a battle.nice start with realistic fight scenes but the action is short lived and the drama takes over.a hard core cw buff would like as a collection additive but anyone else would be advised to pass. this flick could have been very good if the action had been sustained. Wicked Spring (Spanish) ReviewsMore reviews:Buy Wicked Spring (Spanish) Sale Reviews Deals
Wicked Spring (Spanish)
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